Most Beautiful Lakes

Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy

A place where you can stroll amid palm trees and blooming rhododendrons while admiring snow-capped mountains has got to be magical, right? Blessed with a superb microclimate, Lake Como in Northern Italy is the kind of place that leaves you searching for fancy words to capture its exquisiteness—but a simple “bellisima” (beautiful) is a start. Get on the water by hiring a vintage Riva speedboat to take you on a tour of the lake’s villas and villages.

Maligne Lake, Alberta, Canada

There’s some mighty stiff competition in the Canadian Rockies when it comes to glacier-fed beauty—Lake Louise, Morraine Lake and Peyto Lake each could easily have taken the crown—but what makes Maligne Lake (located in Jasper National Park and pronounced Maleen) so stunning is the surrounding landscape: perfect foreground pines, majestically jagged background mountains and cornflower blue Alberta skies. For a postcard-perfect view kayak to Spirit Island.

Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India

Since Maharana Udai Singh chose to build his City Palace here in 1559 you can be pretty certain that Lake Pichola, one of a chain of lakes in Udaipur, is deserving of its status—even if it was artificially created in the 14th century. Adding to its allure are two islands, each with its own palace, that don’t need Instagram filters to look spectacular when silhouetted at dusk. Sail across the lake to visit Jag Mandir Island Palace, where royals used to hold parties, and have your own royal meal.

West Lake, Hangzhou, China

The beauty here is not just the landscape—a slice of verdant green in Hangzhou, but the lifestyle of its elderly residents who treat West Lake like a vast sunrise wellness center as they gather to practice Tai Chi, engage in graceful fan dances or walk the perimeter listening to small radios playing Chinese music. In addition to this microcosm of daily life, the lake also offers stellar photo-ops, from the Tang Dynasty-era Broken Bridge to charming pavilions with upturned roofs.

Dove Lake, Tasmania

This serene lake in north central Tasmania is home to the gnarly Tasmanian Devil, as well as more cuddly looking wallabies and wombats, but Dove Lake’s main appeal is that it is the starting point for scenic day hikes as well as the rigorous 40-mile Overland Track. If you catch it at the right time and with the wind calm, you can also enjoy a reflection of distinctive Cradle Mountain.

Lake Lucerne, Switzerland

Switzerland has a bounteous array of beautiful lakes, but Lake Lucerne has traits that make it stand out: the pretty city of Lucerne, where water flowing into the lake passes beneath the 13th-century Chapel Bridge; a stupendous panorama that begins with Mt. Rigi, spans snow-capped Alps peaks such as Eiger and Jungfrau, and concludes with Mt. Pilatus; and vintage steamboats that have been plying its waters since the mid-1800s. For a relaxing visit, soak in the spring-fed pool at Mineralbad & Spa Rigi-Kaltbad atop Mt. Rigi.

Lake Powell, Arizona

Sometimes man’s handiwork rivals nature, as is the case with Lake Powell, the striking free-form lake created in 1963 by damming the Glen Canyon and creating the U.S.’s second-largest man-made lake. Lined with beaches and popular with houseboat owners and sport fisherman, it photographs like a dream—a sublime mélange of swirling red-rock canyons and vivid sapphire-hued water. To enjoy the area take a boat tour to impressive Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia & Peru

Despite its giggle-inducing name, Lake Titicaca (it means “gray puma” in the native Quechua language) is an enormously beautiful body of water with a shoreline divided between South American neighbors Peru and Bolivia. At 22,400 square miles, it is larger than the entire island of Puerto Rico and features a number of islands, some with Inca ruins, as well as a water level that rises and falls an average of five feet depending on the season. Plan a day-trip by boat to Taquile Island and climb the 553 stone steps up to the ruins.

Derwentwater, Keswick, England

Derwentwater is a moody beauty. This three-mile-long cool blue expanse is located in England’s Cumbria countryside, also known as The Lake District, and is perhaps best known as the summer playground of author Beatrix Potter. Although idyllically glassy during the warmer months, the lashing winds of other seasons can generate choppy waves as snow creates a bundt-cake-icing effect on the hills. Enjoy a stroll along the Friar’s Crag path for an excellent viewpoint of the lake, mountains, and many tiny islands.

Lake Tahoe, California & Nevada

Lake Tahoe is so beautiful that a ski resort with slopes overlooking the body of water named itself Heavenly. Driving around this crystal-clear alpine lake (the largest in North America) is enthralling, with the viewpoint at Emerald Bay a definite must. Then take the Heavenly Gondola up the mountain for a hike with a lake view. BothCalifornia and Nevada lay claim to its shoreline, (and you can ski in both states on the same day at Heavenly), making it not only a multi-season playground but also a destination for gamblers and nightlife lovers who flock to its Nevada casinos.

Pehoe Lake, Patagonia, Chile

It takes a few long plane rides and a bumpy transfer on mostly dirt roads to get to Pehoe Lake in Chilean Patagonia, but the magnificence that awaits you is worth it. Backed by the out-of-this-world beauty of the Torres Del Paine range (and part of the national park of the same name), this stunning lake is saturated with such deep shades of lavender at sunrise and tangerine at sunset that it’s almost unbelievable. Experience this wonder with the Walk Along the Cornices for elevated views of the lake and mountains.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Most people have never heard of Lake Atitlan, a mystical body of water in the highlands of Guatemala that’s fringed by a trio of volcanoes and home to a number of local Mayan villages, but once they visit, they can’t stop talking about it. The lake seduces visitors with its combo of intense volcanic lineage (it’s a caldera that filled with water mare than 84,000 years ago) and serene ambience. The best way to see it all is to hire a guide and hike the 5-hour round-trip trail to the top of San Pedro Volcano.

Lake Superior, Michigan

They aren’t called “Great Lakes” for nothing. While each of these massive lakes that make up hundreds of miles of our Canadian border is impressive, Lake Superior (the largest, deepest, and coldest of the five) got a special gift from Mother Nature: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This 40-mile stretch of sandstone cliffs, sand dunes, beaches, and waterfalls is a photographer, hiker and kayaker’s dream—but even if you just sit there and lake-gaze, you’ll be inspired.

Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand

It’s glacial, so of course it’s gorgeous, but what sets Lake Wakatipu apart from other New Zealand lakes is the mountain range stretched out behind it: jagged peaks so stunning they’re named The Remarkables. For maximum scenic impact book a helicopter flight. You can also enjoy all this rugged beauty from lakesideQueenstown, known as much for its natural assets as for the crazy adventures you can try here, from bungee jumping, to jet-boating, to zorbing.

Crater Lake, South Central Oregon

There’s no blue quite like the aquamarine hue of Crater Lake, which earned its name because it formed when the caldera of volcanic Mt. Mazama collapsed almost 8,000 years ago. Now ringed with 2,000-foot cliffs and reaching an astonishing depth of 1,943 feet—making it the deepest in the U.S.—it captivates visitors with its clarity. Learn about the lake’s explosive past when you take a volcano boat cruise.

Loch Duich, Scotland

David Watmough/Dreamstime.com

The Scottish Highlands are pockmarked with lochs (lakes), many of them beguilingly beautiful, but Loch Duich tends to stick in travelers’ brains because it has the hauntingly picturesque Eilean Donan Castle. Located between Dornie and theKyle of Lochalsh en route to the Isle of Skye, this 14th-century castle actually marks the point where three great sea lochs meet.

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

We dare anyone to see a photo of the Plitvice Lakes and not ask, “Where on earth is that?” Located in Croatia, on the country’s main highway from Zagreb to Split to be exact, these 16 emerald-hued lakes connected by photogenic waterfalls are not only a national park, but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stroll a series of pathways and wooden bridges to discover ever-evolving cascades at this amazing natural wonder.

Lakes of Killarney, Ireland

For the best experience around the Lakes of Killarney in southwest Ireland, opt to boat, hike, bike, or ride in a horse-drawn carriage to access the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow, four-mile mountain pass formed by enormous glacial rocks. As you cruise the peaceful, tree-lined lakes, you’ll pass the ruins of Ross Castle and hear the legends of Kate Kearney and Lord Brandon, and later see their cottages.

Lake Kawaguchi, Japan

Lake Kawaguchi has been immortalized in photographs as the place where iconic Mt. Fuji is perfectly reflected in the stillness of crystalline waters. These days you have to beat the tourists in motorboats to capture that effect, but still the shores of this watery expanse, about 90 minutes from Tokyo, deliver some of the best views ofFuji-San, especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

Lake Bratan, Bali

You might think of Bali more for its beaches than its lakes, but its volcanic origins mean that amid the terraced rice fields of its interior there’s lake country and freshwater beauty abounds. A photo-op not to miss is Lake Bratan, where the multi-tiered thatched roof of the Pura Ulun Danu temple is silhouetted against the lake, sometimes bathed in sunshine and other times shrouded in mist.